Abrasive finishing machine



6, 1957 I A. J. LEWIS m 2,801,498

ABRASIVE FINISHING MACHINE Filed Oct. 19, 1954 'r Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR ARTHUR J Lw/J,3rd.

ATTORNEYS Aug. 6, 1957 A. J. LEWIS Ill 2,801,498

ABRASIVE FINISHING MACHINE Filed Oct. 19, 1954 v Sheets-Sheet 2 ATTORNEYS Aug. 6, 1957 Y A. J. LEWIS 111 2,801,498

ABRAsxvEimggamc; MACHINE Filed Oct. 19, 1954 i v Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR A R THUR J LEW/5,63%

I BY /Q ATTORNEYS 1957 A. J. LEWIS 111 2,801,498

' ABRYASIVE FlNISHING MACHINE Filed Oct. 19, 1954 7 Sheets-Sheet 4 L; U M4; 67 I f I 27 INVENTOR ARTHUR J. LEW/3,3rd

- .5 vdawum/ zAM? ATTORNEYS Aug. 6, 1957 A. J. LEWIS m V ABRASIVE FINISHING momma Filed 001;. 19, 1954 7 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR ARTHUR J Law/6,6 1

ATTORNEYS 1957 A. J. LEWIS m i 2,801,498

' 'ABRASIVE FINISHING MACHINE Filed Oct. 19, 1954 I 7 sheets-sheet a IIIJWNTOR AR THUR J LEW/5,3)?!

. ATTORNEYS 6,- 1957 A. J. LEWIS m 2,801,498

ABRASIVE FINISHING MACHINE Filed Oct. 19, 1954 7 Sheets-Sheet 7 INVENTOR ARTHUR J LEW/s, 5rd.

' ATTORNEYS United States Patent 1) ABRASIVE FINISHING MACHINE Arthur. J. Lewis HI, New London, N. H., assignor to The Autoyre Company, Oakville, Conn., a corporation of Connecticut Application October 19, 1954, Serial No. 463,174

29 Claims. (Cl. 51-70) This invention relates to finishingmethods and mechanisms, and more particularly to methods and mecha: nisms adapted for finishing elongated work pieces such as rods of hot or cold rolled steel.

Numerous methods and mechanisms have previously been proposed for the finishing of such materials, but many of them have had numerous disadvantages, such as difficulty in adjustment, high cost, and non-uniformity of finish, and it is accordingly an object of the present invention, to provide methods and mechanisms for overcoming these difficulties.

Another object is to provide methods and means for effecting a reduction in the size of hot rolled steel wire while at the same time producing a smooth or relative ly smooth surface.

A further object is the provision of methods and means.

means for finishing such rodsby means of abrasive tape.. Steel rod or wire as received from the mill, and par-.

ticularly hot rolled rod, has surface imperfections which interfere with the proper finishing of the rod. It has been found that by abrading a rod longitudinally, these imperfections can be removed, while at the same time obtaining a surface which can be readily rolled, drawn, or otherwise finished in later operations, and it is a further object of the invention to provide means and methods for obtaining this result.

Another object is the provision, in a machine for abrading a rod longitudinally with abrasive tape, of means for feeding unused tape from a supply roll to the abrading zone.

It is also an object of the invention to provide, in a machine for abrading a continuously moving rod withan abrasive tape, means for positioning the tape during the abrading operation.

A further object of the invention is the provision of means for securing intimate contact between the abrasive tape and the wire during the abrading operation.

Yet another object is the provision of mechanism for reciprocating successive portions of anabrasive tape longitudinally of a continuously moving rod or wire in order to remove the surface imperfections thereof. These and other novel features and objects of the invention will become more readily apparent when considered in the light of the following description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein one embodiment of the invention is illustrated. It is to be expressly understood, however, that the drawings are employed for the purpose of illustration only, and are not designed as a definition of the limits of the invention, reference being had for this purpose to the appended. claims.

In the drawings, wherein similar reference numerals refer to similar parts throughout the several views;

Fig. 1 is a front elevation view of the machine in Schematic form;

2,801,498. Patented Aug. 6, 1957 Fig. 2 is a side elevation exterior view of one of the abrading heads;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view showing the mechanism of' the head illustrated in Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view of the abrading head of.

Fig; 10 is a front elevation view, partially insection,

of the abrading head reciprocating mechanism;

Fig. 11 is a side elevational view, partially in section, of the mechanism ofFig. 10; t

Fig. 12 is a. sectional view of the crank mechanism.

of Fig. 10;.

Fig. 13 is a plan view, partially in section, of one of the levers;

Fig. 14 is another view of the lever of Fig. 13;

Fig. 15 is another view of the lever of Fig. 13;

Fig. 16 is a side elevational view. of one of thepressure blocks, and

Fig. 17 is another view of the pressure block of Fig. 16.

In general, and referring particularly to Fig. 1, the

machine includes a body portion 4 having a front panel 5 provided with a plurality of pegs 6 for holding rolls of abrasive tapes 7. As will be explained more fully hereinafter, oppositely reciprocating abrasive head plates 8 are suitably mounted adjacent the front face of panel 5, and are provided with a plurality of abrasive finish.- ing heads 9 and 10, to be described more fully hereinafter. A bull block 11 is mounted at the right end of the machine and provided with a take-up reel 12, while a. reel 13 is provided at the left end of the machine as shown for holding the coil of wire to be finished by the machine. A wire 14 extends through the machine and through the abrasive heads as shown and prior to passing through the abrasive heads, passes through a drawdie mechanism 15, of conventional construction, mounted on the left hand of the machine and serving to both straighten and reduce the diameter of the wire, and to so tension the wire as to prevent longitudinal movement or buckling thereof by the action of the heads 9 and 10 thereon. In the event a reduction in wire size by means of the draw die is not required, it will be understood that the draw die mechanism 15 may be replaced by a conventional wire straightener, not shown. As shown, the machine includes six of the :abrasive heads 9 and six of the abrasive heads 10, but it is to be understood that it may be desirable to use more heads in. order to obtain a better finish.

The construction of head 9 is shown more fully in Figs. 2 and 3 of the drawing, a housing 16 being provided having a backplate 17 and side plates 18 extend ing outwardly therefrom as shown. A cover plate 19 covers the front side of housing 16 in order to partially enclose the mechanism. Extending between the side plates 18 and preferably integral therewith, as shown in Fig. 3, are upper tape guides 20 and 21, lower tape guides 22 and 23, upper and lower pressure block cylinder supports 24 and 25, feed cylinder support 26, and an upper feed roll shaft support 27 integral with the back plate 17. An aperture 27a shown in Fig. 2, is. formed in each side plate 18 to. permit passage of the Wire 14 through the various heads, the heads of course being mounted with these openings in alignment with the axis of the wire.

Thearrangement is such that apair of tapes 7, having abrasive faces adjacent each other, are fed through between guides and 21, between pressure blocks 23 and 29 on opposite sides of the wire 14, between tape guides 22 and 23, and thence between upper and lower feed rolls 30 and 31. The pressure blocks 28 and 29 are respectively mounted on levers 32 and 33, which in turn'are pivotally mounted on shafts 34 and 35, extending between the side plates .18 and supported thereby. Operating cylinders 36 and 37 are mounted onthe supports 24 and 25 and provided with pistons 38 and 39 which bear against web portions 4t) and'41 of the levers 32 and 33, the levers being biased respectively asshown by the springs 42 and 43 interconnected between the levers and pins 44 and 45 carried by, the side plates 18. r i

As will be explained more fully hereinafter, the blocks adjacent the wire or rod are contoured to substantially the same shape as the rod, and when pressed together by the operation ofthe pressure cylinders, serve to press the two abrasive tapes against the surface of the wire.

The feed mechanism includes an upper feed roll shaft 46 rotatably mounted in an eccentric bushing 47, which in turn is rotatably mounted in the support 27 and may be clamped against rotation therein by means of a cap 48 and clamping screws 49. A lower feed roll shaft 50 is rotatably mounted in side plates 18 and carries feed rolls 31. A one way clutch mechanism 52 has a body portion 53 encircling the shaft and rotatable thereon, a clutch roll 54 being urged by a spring 55 against a ramp 56 formed in the clutch body, the construction being such that the roller tends to wedge between the surface of the shaft and the ramp, and thus transmits motion from the clutch body to the shaft when the body is turned in a counterclockwise direction. The body is provided with a lever 57 which engages a slot 58 in a nut 59 threadedly mounted on rod 60 of a piston 61 slidably mounted in a feed cylinder 62 mounted on feed cylinder bracket 26. The piston is normally biased downward by means of a spring 63, and when pressure is applied to the cylinder 62 through port 64, the clutch body is moved in a counterclockwise direction to feed the tape downward between the feed rolls, it being noted thatthe feed rolls are connected by gears 65 and 66, mounted respectively on shafts 46 and 50. On reverse movement of the piston 61 under the influence of spring 63, the construction of the clutch mechanism is such that the clutch is rotated in a clockwise direction to the position shown without rotating the shaft 50.

In the operation of the feed mechanism, the position of the axis of the upper roll shaft relative to the lower roll shaft axis may be adjusted by rotating the eccentric 47 in order to insure that the abrasive tapes Will be securely engaged by the feed rolls. In order to facilitate such engagement, the feed rolls are provided with rubber tires 67. It is also desirable that the amount of tape fed during each cycle of operation of the feed cylinder be adjustable, and to this end, the piston rod 60 is provided with an enlarged portion 68, adapted on upward movement of the piston to abut the under side of a cylinder end plate 69. Thus, the amount of movement of the feed piston in an upward direction is determined by abutment of the enlarged piston rod portion 68 against the cover plate, and in the other direction by engagement of the nut 59 with the plate. Thus by adjusting the position of the nut 59 on the piston rod, the amount of rotation of the clutch body during each cycle of operation can be readily adjusted to determine the amount of tape feed which occurs.

The pressure blocks 28 and 29, which are of special construction, are shown in more detail in Figs. 16 and 17. The lower portion of the block is provided with a grooved portion 70 and a grooved rubber element 71 is vulcanized 4 I to the lower face of the block. A groove 72 in the rubber member is formed with substantially the same contour as that of the wire to be finished, the radius of the arc of curvature of this groove being slightly greater than that of the wire in order to allow for the thickness of the abrasive tape. In like manner the bottom face 73 of the rubber element is positioned in a plane spaced upward slightly from the center of curvature of groove 72 to provide space for the tapes when the blocks are moved together to clamp the tapes against the wire, the

rubber element being so dimensioned that when the tapes are clamped against the wire, they are also clamped securely between faces 73 on either side of the wire to prevent movement of the tapes longitudinally of the wire relative to the pressure blocks. In addition to the foregoing, it has been found desirable that the groove 70 have a different contour from that of the groove 72 in order that the thickness of the rubber at the edge 74 ofthe groove be greater than that of the center and the side,

thus providing more resilience in order to accommodate the bending of the tape which occurs in passing from the face 73 into groove-72. The body portion of the block ismade of metal, each end being in the form of an are 76, and provided wtih a bore 77. The upper sur-- face of the block'28 is also in the form of an arc, and the central portion is provided with a rubber facing 79, for purposes to be described hereinafter.

In order that the blocks may be effective to firmly clamp the abrasive tapes against the wire with substantially uniform contact therebetween, the blocks are loosely mounted on levers 32 and 33, it being noted with reference to Figs. 14 and 15, that the levers are provided with extending lips on either side, these lips in turn being provided with studs 81 threadedly secured to the lips and extending inwardly therefrom. The diameter of these studs is smaller than the bores 77 in the block, and com sequently the blocks are free to float an appreciable amount on the studs. The dimensioning of the blocks relative to the spacing of the lips 80 is such that the arcuate portions 76 of the blocks engage the inner surfaces of the lips 80, thus positioning the blocks against endwise movement on the levers. When the pressure cylinders are operated to bring the blocks together against the wire, the rubber portions 79 of the blocks are engaged by the webs 40 or 41 on the levers, providing a cushion to allow the blocks and tapes to conform to the contour of the Wire.

It is pointed out that the above block construction and block mounting constitutes an important feature of the invention, since it provides means for aligning the blocks with the wire and for securely clamping the tapes together during the abrading action of the machine, the construction being such that when the blocks are pressed together, the opposed tapes are securely clamped together on either side of the wire between the surfaces 73 of the rubber elements on the blocks, thus effectively preventing any movement of the tapes longitudinally of the wire with respect to the blocks themselves. In other words, when the wire is being abraded by the reciprocating movement of the heads along the wire, there is no relative longitudinal movement of the tapes with respect to the blocks. In the event over or under size portions of the wire are encountered, the resiliency of the rubber elements 71 acts to compensate for this and allows the tapes to be pressed against the wire and at the same time to be securely clamped together between the surfaces 73.

It will be apparent from the foregoing description that the abrading head of Fig. 3 is so constituted as to maintain the opposed abrasive tapes in engagement with substantially the entire circumference of the wire 14. It will also be understood that there is a small area on either side of the wire in line with the junction of the tapes which may not have the same contact with the tapes as the other portions of the wire, and it has been found desirable to operate some of the heads with the block faces-73 disposed. at approximately 90 to the faces of? those on adjacent heads, and such a construction is'shown in Fig. 4. i In this view, representing one of the heads 10, the head again comprises a back plate 17 and side plates 18 for supporting the parts, but the parts, including the tape guides 20 and 21, tape guides 22 and 23', supports 24, 25, 26, and 27, shafts 34 and 35, and all the parts carried thereby, are rotated bodily 90 in a counterclockwise direction, in such a manner that the line of feed of the tapes across the wire is 90 removed from that shown in Fig. 3. The operation of the heads 10, however, is identical in every respect to that of the heads 9 except that the parts have been angularly displaced about the wire axis. Although different arrangements of the heads maybe used on the machine, the heads 9 and are preferably alternated along the plates 8 as indicated in Fig. 1, in order to insure uniform abrasion of the wire surface.

, Mechanism for controlling the operation of the pressure block operating cylinders and the feed cylinder is shownin Figs. 8 and 9, Fig. 8 showing diagrammatically the construction and hookup of the control valve mechanism, and Figs 9 showing the complete control valve assembly which is adapted to be mounted at any suitable point on or near the machine. Referring first to Fig. 9, a housing 82 is provided with spaced bearing portions 83 havinga cam shaft 84 rotatably mounted therein and adapted to be driven by motor 85 through belt 86 and speed reducing mechanism 87. The shaft is provided with six identical cams 88 spaced thereon as shown, and twelve control valves 89 are mounted in opposed relationship in such a manner that each pair of opposed valves are operated in sequence by a single cam. The control valves are each connected to one of the individual heads on the machine by suitable conduits or hoses in the manner set forth in Fig. 8. Referring now to Fig. 8, the valve is shown as comprising a cylinder portion 90 secured to an end plate 91 adapted to be secured to the valve housing 82 of Fig. 9 by means of suitable cap screws. A spool valve 92 is slidably mounted in said cylinder portion of the valve as shown and provided with spaced lands 93, 94 and 95, and the right portion of the valve is provided with a push rod 96 slidably mounted in the cover plate 91 and provided at its outer end with a cam roller 97 rotatably mounted on a pin 98 carried by the rod. A spring 99 inside the valve urges the spool valve to the right at all times in order to insure contact of the cam roller with the cam. The cam is provided with a depression 100 as shown, and on rotation of the cam in a clockwise direction, for example, it will be apparent that the spool valve will remain in the position shown during a large portion of the rotation, but will be moved to the right by the spring 99 whenever the cam depression 100 registers with the roller 97. The valve housing is provided with an inlet port 101, spaced exhaust ports 102 and 103, a pressure cylinder outlet port 104, and a feed cylinder outlet port 105. The inlet port 101 is connected to a suitable air reservoir 105a through conduit 106, control valve 107, conduit 107a, pressure regulating valve 108, and conduit 109.

Outlet port 104 is connected to the cylinders 36 and 37 through a flexible hose 110 and conduits 111 and 112, while the outlet port 105 is connected to the feed cylinder 62 by means of a flexible hose 113. The feed valve 108 is adjustable by means of a screw 114 to control the pressure supplied to the valve through conduit 106, and the construction of the control valve 107 is such that with lever 115 in the position shown in solid lines, the air supply is connected to conduit 106, while on movement of the lever to dotted line position 116 the line 106 is disconnected from the air supply and is connected to atmosphere through exhaust port 177.

Referring now to the operation of the spool valve, it will be noted that the lands 93, 94 and 95 are so spaced relative to the ports 101, 102, 103, 104, and 105, that with the spool valve in the position shown, inlet port 101 is connected to port 104, while port 105is connected to atmosphere through exhaust port 102. Thus, during; operation of the machine, the pistons in cylinders 36 and 37 will normally be urged toward each other by the air} pressure, while cylinder 62 will be exhausted to atmosphere. will eventually be moved toward the right-when the roller 97 registers withthe cam depression whereupon;

outlet port 104 will be connected to-atmosphere through exhaust port 103, port will be disconnected from exhaust port 102, and the inlet port 101 will be connected to the port 105 to supply pressure to the feed 'cylinder' bring the pressure blocks together and clamp fresh, portions of adhesive tape therebetween and against the wire being finished;

Since it is desirable that the major portion of the pres surezblocks bein'tape clamping position at the same time, the depressions 100 on cams 88 are preferably spaced 60 apart on adjacent cams of the mechanism shown in Fig 9, the "six valves on the left side of the valve assembly of Fig. 9, being connected tocontrol one set of the heads of Fig. 1, and the valves on the, right side of the assembly being connected to control the other set ofheads. In this manner the. arrangement is such that the pressure blocks ofone head only are released at one time in each group of heads. In the event it is desired to release all of the pressure blocks at the same time for purposes of adjustment or replacement, control lever is moved to the dotted line position, and servesto exhaust air from all of the pressure block cylinders and freed cylinders on rotation of the cam shaft through one or two evolutions. Also the pressure suppliedto the pressure block cylinders can be adjusted individually by the pressure regulator valves 108 to meet the conditions imposed by the particular type of wire being finished.

As stated heretofore, the abrasive head supporting plates 8 are preferably arranged to reciprocate in opposite directions, a procedure which materially reduces the vibration present in the machine, in view of the fact that the reciprocating weights are substantially balanced. This is accomplished, as shown in Figs. 10, 11, 12, by providing a crankshaft 118 having opposed throws 119 and 120, positioned 180 apart and provided with connecting rods 121 and 122. Suitable abrading head supporting frames 123 and 123a slidably mounted on rods 124 by means of bearings 125, the rods being supported by channel members 126 extending between front plate 5 and a rear plate 127 of the machine, and preferably secured to the plates by welding.

As shown more particularly in Fig. 12, the left end of crankshaft is mounted in a bearing 1.28 carried by plate 5, and the right end is mounted in a bearing plate 129 secured to the rear face of plate 127 by screws 130. A V

belt pulley 131 issecured to the right end. of the crankshaft by means of a key 132 and a set screw 133, and is adapted, as shown in Fig. 10, to be connected by a V belt 134 to a drive motor 135 suitably mounted onan adjacent base portion of the machine as indicated. Connecting rod 121 is connected at its right end to a wrist pin 136 carried by ears 137 on frame 123, and connecting rod 122 is connected to a wrist pin 138 carried, by ears 139 on frame 123a, it being noted that the connecting rods are offset axially of the crankshaft, and that the wrist pins on frames 123 and 123a are correspondingly offset.

The abrading heads 9 and 10, as illustrated schematically in Fig. 1, are secured to the plates 8 in alternating relationship, six heads being shown on each plate, and by virtue of the above described mechanism, the plates and their attached heads, on operation of motor 135, are re- On further rotation ofthe cam, the spool valve tion due to the reciprocating weights is thus substantially balanced out, the stroke of the connecting rods and frames being preferably made equal in order to insure this result.

During the normal operation of the machine, and assuming that a piece of wire to be finished has been extended from the reel 13 through the draw die, through the twelve heads, and attached to the reel 12 of the bull block, the bull block motor is started, thus drawing the wire through the machine, the motor 135 is then started and thereafter the motor 85 is started in order to render the valves effective to control the application of air pressure to the pressure block cylinders and feed cylinders. Thereafter, the tapes are normally clamped against the wire by the pressure blocks and reciprocated back and forth, the pressure blocks being released only for a period sufficient to permit the feeding of an unused piece of tape through the operation of the feed mechanism. The pressure blocks are sequentially released, and consequently, due to the valve arrangement, all but one set of blocks in each group is effective at all times to engage the abrasive tape with the wire, thus insuring a uniform finish on the latter. The feed mechanism can be adjusted to feed the amount of tape necessary to supply fresh tape as fast as the old tape is used up, and the speed reducing mechanism of the valve assembly shown in Fig. 9 may be changed if desired in order to change the cycle of valve operation in accordance with the type of abrasive tape used and the type of wire being finished. In addition, the speed of reciprocation of the head assembly can be varied by changing the drive ratio between the motor and crankshaft in the event this proves to be necessary. During the abrading action, the tapes are securely clamped between the rubber facings of the pressure blocks in order to prevent movement of the tape with the wire, and each portion of the tape may be fully worn out before a fresh portion is fed to the zone between the pressure blocks. It is also contemplated that the same grade of tape may be used on all of the heads or different grades may be used on some of the heads, depending on the material being finished and the type of finish desired. Due to the fact that the blocks are resiliently pressed together by opposed fluid pressure cylinders and, are resiliently connected to the levers 32 and 33, and are mounted for limited universal movement with respect thereto, the blocks and the tapes clamped therebetween can readily align themselves with the wire and can also adjust themselves to changes in the diameter or line of movement of the wire.

It will'he readily understood from the foregoing description, that a novel mechanism has been provided so constituted that the rod may be abraded longitudinally with abrasive tape fed from roll of tape supported on a stationary portion of the machine. that any longitudinal abrasion marks It has been found on the rod which may result from the abrading operation are more readily obliterated or minimized during subsequent rolling, drawing, or other finishing operations, than is the case when the abrasion marks extend across the rod surface. In addition the tape operating and feeding arrangement makes it possible to put new rolls of tape on the machine without stopping the latter, the end of the new roll merely being attached to the trailing end of the previous roll With adhesive tape.

As indicated heretofore commercial grades of wire, and particularly hot rolled wire, have surface imperfections such as pits and the like, which normally are not removed in subsequent rolling or drawing operations. The present machine removes sufficient metal from the surface of the wire to substantially eliminate all these imperfections at nominal cost.

The abrasive coating of the tape is substantially all uti lized, a novel tape clamping means has been provided to prevent movement of the tape longitudinally with the wire due to the friction therebetween, an action which would otherwise distort the tape and prevent proper feeding of the latter. With the method of the invention the wire is stroked longitudinally with successive unused portions of abrasive tapes extending across the line of movement,

of the wire, resulting in a superior finish at low cost.

With regard to the operation of the machine, a crank shaft speed of 500 R. P. M. and a stroke of 1" has been found satisfactory, but it will be understood that these values are given merely by way of example, and are in no way indicative of the operating limitations of the machine.

Although the invention has been illustrated and described in considerable detail, it is to be understood that the same is not limited to the form shown, but may receive a variety of expressions as will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art. Reference will, therefore, be had to the appended claims for a definition of the limits of the invention.

What is claimed is:

l. Mechanism for abrasively finishing the surface of an elongated work piece including guide means for guiding a pair of abrasive tapes for .movement across the work piece with their abrasive surfaces in face to face relationship, a pair of pressure blocks mounted in opposed relationship adjacent the outer surfaces of the tapes on opposite sides of the work piece each contoured to engage and press one of the tapes against the surface of the work piece in substantially uniform engagement therewith, means for effecting relative reciprocating movement of said blocks and work piece longitudinally of the work piece, means for moving said pressure blocks toward the work piece to effect engagement of the tapes with the Work piece, means for periodically releasing and moving said pressure blocks apart, and timed feed means operable on release of said blocks for feeding unused tape to the region between said blocks.

2. Mechanism for abrasively finishing the surface of an elongated work piece including guide means for guiding an abrasive tape for movement across the work piece with the abrasive surface adjacent the work piece, a pressure block mounted adjacent the other surface of the tape having a release position and an abrading position and contoured and adapted to engage and press the tape against the surface of the work piece in substantially uniform engagement therewith on movement from release position to abrading position, means for effecting relative longitudinal movement of the pressure block and work piece to abrade the latter, means operable for moving the pressure block to abrading position to effect engagement of the tape with the work piece and for moving the pressure block to release position at predetermined intervals, and means operable during said predetermined intervals for feeding unused tape to the region between the block and work piece.

3. Mechanism as set forth in claim 2 wherein that por tion of the pressure block adapted to engage the abrasive tape is formed of resilient material.

4. Mechanism for abrasively finishing a longitudinally moving work piece including a reciprocating head, means for reciprocating the head longitudinally of the work piece, guide means for guiding the movement of an abrasive tape across the work piece adjacent thereto, a movable contoured pressure block on the head having a release position and an abrading position and operable in the latter position to move the tape against the work piece in substantially uniform engagement with the surface thereof, feed means for the tape, block moving means, means for tensioning the work piece to prevent longitudinal movement thereof in either direction by the action of the reciprocating head and tape thereon, and means for operating the feed means and block moving means in timed relationship to maintain the pressure block alternately in abrading and release positions for predetermined periods and for feeding unused tape to the region between the block and work piece when the block is in release position.

5. Mechanism for abrasively finishing a longitudinally moving work piece including a reciprocating head, means for reciprocating the head longitudinally of the work piece, guide means for guiding the movement of an abrasive tape acrossthe work piece adjacent thereto, a movable contoured pressure-block on the head having a release position and an; abrading position and operable in the latter positionto move thetapeagainst the work piece in substantially uniform engagement with'the surface thereof, feed means for the tape, block movingmeans,

means for operating the feed means and block moving.

meansin timed relationship to maintain the blockalternately in abrading and release positions for predeter mined periods and for feeding unused tape to the region between the block and workpiece when the block is in release position, and tape clamping; means associated with the block and operable with the block in abrading position to grip the tape to prevent relative movement of the block and that portion of the tape interposed between the block and moving work piece.

6. Mechanism for abrasively finishing a longitudinally moving work piece'including a reciprocating head, means} for reciprocating the head longitudinally of the work piece, guide means for guiding the movement of a pair of abrasive tapes acrossithe work piece with their abrasive surfaces in face to face relationship and with the work piece therebetween, a pair of movable pressure blocks onthe head having release and abrading positions and provided with contoured portions in opposedrelationship adapted in abrading position of the blocks to maintain the tapes in engagement with the work piece substantially in cbnformity with the surface thereof, feed meansfor the tapes, block moving means, means for tensioning the work piece to prevent longitudinal movement thereof in either direction by the action of the reciprocating head and tape thereon, and means for operating the feed means and block movingmeans in timed relationship to maintain theblocks alternately in abrading and release position for predetermined periods and for. feeding unused portions of tape to the region be tween said blocks and workpiece when the blocks are in release position.

7. Abrasive finishing mechanism as set forth in claim 6 wherein the contoured portions of the blocks are formed.

of resilient material to. insure conformity of the tapes with the surface of the work piece when the blocks are in abrading position.

8. Abrasive finishing mechanism as set forth in claim 6 wherein means are associated with the blocks operable in abrading position of. the latter to clamp the tapes together on either side of the work piece to prevent relative movement of the tapes and blocks longitudinally of the work piece. p u

9; Abrasive finishing mechanism as set forth in claim 6, wherein each of said pressure blocks are provided with spaced surface portions operable in abrading position of the blocks for clamping said pair of tapes together, and said contoured portions of the block are formed of a resilient material, the thickness of said resilient material on each of said blocks decreasing progressively between said spaced surfaces.

l0. Abrasive finishing mechanism as set forth in claim 6, wherein said pressure blocks are provided with resilient tape clamping means on either side of said contoured portions, said clamping means being operable with said blocks in abrading position to securely clamp the tapes together in face to face relationship to prevent relative movement of said tapes and blocks longitudinally of the work piece.

11. Abrasive finishing mechanism as set forth in claim 6, wherein the block moving means includes a pair of opposed fluid motors operable for resiliently urging said blocks together in abrading position, whereby the two blocks are free tomove bodily to conform to the line of movement of said work piece.

12. Abrasive finishing mechanism as set forth in claim 6, wherein connecting means are provided for connecting the block moving meansand blocks, said connecting means being so constituted as to permit limited universal movement of the blocks relative. to the block moving means, whereby the blocks are free to align themselves with the work piece.

13. Abrasive finishing mechanism as set forth in claim 6, wherein at least two groups of said heads are provided spaced along the work piece, and said head reciprocating means is -so constituted as to simultaneously reciprocate said groups in opposite directions.

14. Abrasive finishing mechanism as set forth in claim 6, wherein a plurality of said heads are provided and spaced apart longitudinally along the work pieoe, and the means for operating the feed means and block moving means is so constituted as to release the blocks and operatethe feed means; of eachhead separately and during different time intervals, whereby the heads are recipro cated with. the-blocks of onl y one of said heads released during any given time interval.

15. Abrasive finishing mechanism as set forth in claim 6 wherein two separate groups of heads are provided, the head reciprocating means, is soconstituted as to simultaneously reciprocate said groups in opposite directions, and the weight of the reciprocating parts associated with one of said groups is substantially identical with that of the reciprocating-parts associatedwith the other group.

16.. Abrasivefinishing; mechanism as set forth in claim 6, wherein a plurality of said heads are spaced longitudinally along the work piece, and said means for operating the feed means and block moving means isso constituted as, to operate the bloc ks and feed means of the different headsin a predetermined sequence.

17. Abrasive finishing mechanism as setxforthin claim 6, wherein a plurality of said heads are spaced longitudinally along said work piece, and the pressure blocks, tapes, and feed means ofsome of said heads are spaced an'gularly aboutsaid work piece with respect to the pressure blocks, tapes, and feed means of the other of said heads.

18', A machine forabrasively finishing the surface of an elongatedw'orkpiece including means for positioning a workpiece in the machine, a head mounted on the machine for reciprocation longitudinally of the work piece, means for reciprocating the head longitudinally of the work piece, guides for guiding a pair of abrasive tapes across the work piece on: either side thereof with the abrasive coatings of the tapes in face to face relationship,

a pair of contoured pressure blocks mounted on the head for movement to and from the work piece between abrading and release positions, the contoured portion of each block beingadjacent the outer surface of one of said tapes, a pair of fluid motors each having an operating connection with one of said blocks and mounted in opposed relationship, feed rolls positioned to engage the tapes and draw them through said guides, a fluid motor for operating said feed rolls, and means for sequentially moving said blocks to abrading position, moving them to release position, operating said feed rolls to feed fresh tape to the region between said released blocks, including a source of fluid pressure, a fluid pressure control valve operable to alternately connect said supply to said block operating motors and to exhaust fluid from said feed motor and to exhaust fluid from said block operating motor and connect said supply to said feed motor, a cam for operating said valve, and means for rotating said cam, said cam being so constituted as to maintain the connection between said fluid supply and block motors for a relatively long interval and to maintain the connection between said supply and feed motor for a relatively short interval.

19. A machine for abrasive finishing as set forth in claim 18, wherein the fluid is a compressible fluid.

20. An abrading head for a machine of the type adapted to abrasively finish the surface of the elongated work piece, said head including a pair of pressure blocks mounted in opposed relationship each having an abrading and a release position and provided on their adjacent faces with longitudinal grooves contoured substantially in accordance with the contour of the work piece, means for guiding an abrasive tape through the head, transversely of the work piece between said contoured portion of each block and the adjacent surface of said work piece with the abrasive surface of the tape adjacent the work piece, means for feeding unused tape from a supply through the guide means to the region between each block and the surface of the work piece, and fluid pressure operated means connected with said blocks and operable to move each of the blocks from release to abrading position, said fluid pressure operated means being so constituted as to resiliently urge said blocks together in said abrading positions with substantially equal and opposite forces.

21. An abrading head as set forth in claim 20, wherein the feed means includes a pair of feed rolls having spaced substantially parallel axes and positioned for receiving abrasive tape therebetween and in frictional engagement therewith, a fluid pressure operated feed member, a one Way clutch connecting the feed member with one of the rolls, and means for adjusting the stroke of said feed member for controlling the amount of tape fed by the rolls during each cycle of operation of the feed member.

22. Abrasive finishing mechanism comprising a frame and means for guiding and moving a rod longitudinally therethrough, a plurality of pairs of opposed pressure blocks spaced axially along the rod having grooves extending longitudinally of their adjacent faces and contoured in accordance with the contour of the rod, feed mechanism for feeding abrasive tapes in one direction from a supply between the face of each pressure block and the rod with the abrasive surfaces of the tapes adjacent the rod surface, means for moving said blocks together to engage the abrasive tapes with the rod, means for reciprocating one group of said pairs of pressure blocks longitudinally along the rod in one direction while simultaneously reciprocating another group along the rod in the opposite direction, means operable for periodically and selectively moving the blocks of each pair away from the rod and in a predetermined sequence, and means operable on such movement of the pressure blocks to feed fresh tape from the supply to the regions between the pressure blocks and rod.

23. Abrasive finishing mechanism as set forth in claim 22, wherein over-riding control means are associated with the pressure block moving means, said control means being so constituted as to render the block moving means operative to effect movement of all of the pressure blocks away from the rod.

24. The method of abrasively finishing the surface of a longitudinally moving rod which comprises positioning a pair of elongated abrasive tapes transverselyof the rod Withtheir abrasive surfaces in face to face relationship adjacent the surface of the rod, clamping the portions of tape adjacent either side of the rod firmly together while clamping the portions between the first named portions firmly against the surface of the rod and bodily moving said clamped tapes back and forth along the rod while holding the tapes against angular movement about the rod.

25. Mechanism for abrasively finishing the surface of an elongated work piece including guide means for guiding an abrasive tape for movement across the'work piece with the abrasive surface adjacent the surface of the work piece, a pressure block mounted adjacent the other surface of the tape having a release position and an abrading position and contoured and adapted to engage and press the tape against the surface of the work piece in substantially uniform engagement therewith on movement from release position to abrading position, means for effecting relative longitudinal movement of the pressure block and work piece to abrade the latter, power means operable at timed intervals for resiliently biasing the pressure block toward abrading position to effect engagement of the tape with the work piece and operable to effect movement of the pressure block to release position at predetermined intervals, and power means operable during said predetermined intervals when said pressure block is in release position to feed unused tape to the region between the block and the work piece.

26. Mechanism for abrasively finishing the surface of an elongated Work piece including means for guiding an abrasive tape across the work piece on either side thereof with abrasive surfaces in face to face relationship on either side of the work piece, a pair of pressure blocks mounted in opposed relationship on opposite sides of the work piece each contoured to engage and press the tape adjacent the opposite side of the work piece against the surface of the work piece in substantially uniform engagement therewith, means for effecting relative reciprocating movement of said blocks and work piece longitudinally of the work piece, means for moving said pressure blocks toward the work piece to effect engagement of said tape therewith on either side of said work piece, means for periodically releasing and moving said pressure blocks apart, and timed feed means operable on release of said blocks for advancing abrasive tape to the region between said blocks and work piece.

27. Mechanism for abrasively finishing a work piece in accordance with claim 25, wherein the pressure block has limited universal movement relative to the pressure block moving means whereby said pressure block has s'elf alignment relationship with said work piece.

28. Mechanism for abrasively finishing the surface of a work piece in accordance with claim 25, wherein said pressure block is one of two or more similar pressure blocks spaced apart lengthwise of the work piece and each of said blocks being positioned angularly about said work piece at variance with the angularposition of certain of the other pressure blocks.

29. Abrasive finishing mechanism comprising a frame and means for guiding and moving a rod longitudinally therethrough, a plurality of pressure blocks spaced apart axially along the rod and each of said blocks being contoured in accordance with the contour of the rod, feed mechanism for feeding abrasive tape in one direction from a supply between the face of each pressure block and the surface of the rod opposite thereto with the abrasive surfaces of the tape adjacent the rod surface, means for moving said blocks toward and away from said rod, means for reciprocating one of said pressure blocks lengthwise of the rod in one direction while simultaneously reciprocating a second pressure block along the rod in the opposite direction, means operable for periodically and selectively moving each block away from the rod in pre-determined sequence, and means operable on such movement of the pressure blocks to feed fresh tape from the supply to the regions between the pressure blocks and the rod.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 342,917 Logan June 1, 1886 413,786 Miller Oct. 29, 1889 443,795 Root Dec. 30, 1890 1,096,882 Wysong May 19, 1914 1,253,080 Morreau Ian. 8, 1918 1,820,377 Curtis Aug. 25, 1931 2,033,392 Pallas Mar. 10, 1936 2,093,680 Lamplough Sept. 21, 1937 2,320,142 Illmer et al. May 25, 1943 

